


Dear Daughter

by darkin520



Category: seaQuest
Genre: Family, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-23 13:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6118323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkin520/pseuds/darkin520
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kristin knows that these are words that every girl deserves to hear, and Katie learns that she's the girl who needs to hear them. Written for the Girl Power Challenge as well as Mother's Day. First season, canon, one-shot. *COMPLETE*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dear Daughter

Kristin turned around from the breakfast line in the mess hall, her tray in hand, trying to decide where to sit when she saw some of the senior staff members sitting at their usual table near the back. Lucas smiled and waved her over, so she obliged. As she sat across from Katie, she said, "Good morning, everyone. I trust we're all ready for the day."

"Always, Doc," Ben replied. "The supply officer is never unprepared."

"Because that would definitely be a travesty for you to be caught with your pants down," Katie quipped.

Ben flashed her a grin as he stood, clearing his place. "You're just jealous because you don't get to see my butt anymore."

"Jealousy is not quite the word I'd use," Katie said flatly. "It's more like _relieved_."

Ben shrugged. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." He nodded towards Lucas. "You ready, kid?"

Lucas wiped his mouth with a napkin and followed suit. "See you in the lab later, Doc?"

"Of course. Don't be late. _And_ don't let Mr. Krieg talk you into doing anything you know you shouldn't." She shot Ben a warning glance to ensure he knew she meant business.

"He's just helping me unload a few boxes," Ben told her. "He'll be returned to you unscathed and just as angelic as always."

The women both laughed. "I'm holding you to that," Kristin said, glancing to Lucas. "Have fun, dear."

"Sure thing," Lucas said as he and Ben both left.

Kristin smiled softly as she sipped her coffee, remembering the slight rift between the military and the science team when the tour had first started. But that had been several months ago, and she couldn't imagine it being any other way now. She felt like they were a family, even if some of the members were a bit _stranger_ than others. In fact, she felt very protective of them all, especially the women. Therefore, she saw this as her golden opportunity, so to speak.

Kristin reached a hand over to Katie's and patted it gently. "And now that we're alone, how are things with you lately?"

"Fine," the younger woman replied with a smile. "Just fine, Doc; thanks for asking. And you?"

She shrugged. "Oh, I can't really complain. I-" She looked up as Tim and Miguel sat down. "Good morning, you two."

"Morning," they both said.

Katie then stood. "I really hate to leave the party, but I've got to be on the bridge. Maybe I'll see you later, Doc?"

She nodded. "Of course, dear; have a lovely day." Only she couldn't help but let out a sigh. Not that Tim and Miguel weren't good company, but she'd always felt closer to the women on the boat. Or maybe it was more that she felt she  _should_ be closer to the women on the boat.

It was just that she knew what it was like to fight to make it in a man's world, and since women had had to fight tooth and nail just to be allowed on submarines full time, she felt it her duty to watch out for the others, give them advice, be a bit of a surrogate mother to them all. And since she and Katie were the only two women on the senior staff, she'd been trying for ages to let her know she was there for her if she needed, but it was always the same answer.

Kristin knew that Katie herself was strong and independent, and it was quite possible she didn't need her. At the same time, however, Kristin knew there was no way she could possibly be 'just fine' on a daily basis. Kristin herself wasn't 'just fine' on a daily basis. Everyone needed to vent on occasion, needed someone to listen. She had to think of a way to let the younger woman know she wasn't alone, but...

"Are you holding the salt hostage?"

Kristin blinked as she saw Tim's hand reached out to her. "What?"

"I asked if you could pass the salt three times now," Tim explained. "Do you mind?"

She handing him the salt shaker. "I'm sorry. I guess I was off in la-la land for a moment."

"We noticed," Miguel said. "Is everything all right?"

She nodded, picking up her tray. "Everything is just fine, I promise. Have a good day," she called as she headed off to the lab.

_-sQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQsQ-_

Kristin didn't get the chance to even think about Katie any more that day, however, since there must have been a memo going around that if any day would be good to get hurt, this should be it. There was one accident after another, it seemed, and by the time everything seemed to die down, she'd missed lunch and dinner.

Exhausted, she dragged herself to the galley in search of finding something fast and somewhat nutritious to eat. Thankfully, it was quiet and rather empty, only a few people here and there, but she paid little attention to them. Instead, she eyed the transparent, well-stocked, refrigerated cases, searching for something to calm her complaining stomach. She quickly found a chicken salad croissant, something she had a weakness for and grabbed a side salad along with a juice. She then turned to look at who else happened to be in there, deciding if she knew anyone well enough to sit with them.

She first noticed two crewmen from engineering, one of them waving to her and smiling, his hand bandaged up. He'd been her first patient that day and somehow managed to sprain his hand when he was fixing some broken pipes in the engine room. She returned the smile and gave him a nod, hoping after the sprain healed, she wouldn't see him in medbay for a while. If there was anything a doctor hated more, it was regular customers.

She then passed two of her nurses, Holly and Tara, who were just leaving.

"Long day, huh, Doc?" Holly commented.

"You can say that again. You two just make sure you get enough rest. We may need to do it again tomorrow."

"Let's just hope it's not as busy as it was today," Tara replied. "I think we need to insist everyone wear protective gear at all times."

"Oh, yes," Kristin laughed. "I'm sure the UEO would have a field day with that one."

"Have a good night," they both said as they left the room.

"You, too," Kristin said as she glanced to the last woman in the room. She had her back turned, but Kristin was almost positive it was Katie. She carefully approached the table, trying to make sure she didn't startle her. When she got to the other side of the table, her suspicions were confirmed, only Katie didn't seem to notice her. She was reading a letter of some sort.

Kristin tried to make a bit of noise, but Katie didn't look up, so she waited for an awkward second or two before asking, "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all," Katie replied quietly, still not looking up from her letter.

Kristin dug into her meal, stealing glances at the woman before her and trying to gauge her mood. Was the letter troubling news? Was it happy news? She almost wanted to rip it from her hands just to see what in the world could be so important when Katie finally folded it up and set it down on the table.

"I...I can't believe it," Katie muttered shakily.

Kristin was somewhat surprised since she'd never seen Katie so emotional before. "What is it, dear?"

Katie suddenly jumped as her eyes snapped to Kristin's face, almost as if she hadn't realized where she was and who was with her until now. She wiped at her eyes and stood, ready to leave. "I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No, don't!" Kristin said, catching her by the arm and suddenly noticing they were alone. The crewmen had left without her noticing, which was probably a good thing. Upon seeing the confused look on Katie's face, she let go of her then. "I...I'm sorry. I just thought... Whatever is troubling you, you know I'm here if you'd like. I could listen, help if you'd like. I...I want to help."

The younger woman stared at her for a minute, her mouth open. "I...I don't know what to say. I mean, you've obviously had a long day, and you don't need to hear me whine about my stupid problems."

"On the contrary, I do," Kristin said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Look, I know we might not know each other that well yet, but I...I've been trying to show you you could depend on me for such things. I guess I haven't been doing a very good job of that, but we're both here now. You've got a problem, and I'm here willing to listen. What do you say?"

Katie bit her bottom lip in thought before nodding. "All...all right, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"I promise I won't," Kristin said as they both sat. She motioned to her sandwich. "Would you like half? It might help you feel better."

Katie gave her a slight smile. "Chicken salad is my weakness, at least here."

"I have the same problem," Kristin said with a laugh, passing the other half of the sandwich to her. "Now, what in the world is troubling you, dear?"

After taking a few bites of her sandwich, Katie took a shaky breath. "Well, you remember when I had shore leave last week?"

"Yes, and you seemed very happy when you returned."

"I was; I got to see my family...and a few other people. One person in particular." She lowered her gaze, picking a piece of her croissant up and popping it into her mouth.

"Was this a male person in particular?" Kristin guessed.

Katie gave a quiet nod.

"And I'm going to assume that letter was from that same male person?"

The younger woman nodded again. "I...I just don't know what happened. We started dating over the summer; we've known one another since we were kids and we decided to move from friendship into something more. For obvious reasons, though,we wanted to keep it quiet. I sure as hell didn't want Ben to know."

Kristin put a hand to her cheek. "Oh, dear; don't tell me he's friends with Ben, too, then."

"Unfortunately, yes...but he and I both agreed we shouldn't tell Ben, at least until things became more serious," Katie explained before taking another bite of her sandwich. "Which they did when I took shore leave, but then he sent me this letter..."

"He broke up with you?" Kristin asked between bites of her meal.

"N-not exactly. He...he said we were moving too fast, and that he needed some space."

Kristin could hear the slight fluctuation in Katie's voice, telling her she was close to tears once again. She reached over and squeezed her hand. "You're hundreds of miles away on a submarine, dear. How much more space does he need?"

"I...I don't know..." Katie said, the tears beginning to flow. "I...I just thought..."

Immediately, Kristin was at her side, wrapping her arms around her. "Oh, honey, it's going to be all right; I promise. You...you don't want to lose yourself over some silly little boy; he...he was probably just intimidated."

"In...intimidated?" Katie asked through her tears. "Over what?"

Kristin's mouth fell open slightly. "Over what?" Kristin took a paper napkin out of the holder and gently wiped the stray tears from the younger woman's eyes. "You, my dear, are beautiful, strong, independent...and there's no one else like you. That in itself is enough to leave men shaking in their shoes."

Katie smiled softly. "I'm not that beautiful, and you don't know me as well as you might think. I'm not strong at all; I care too much about what other people think, and I am rather selfish, and-"

"And you're far too hard on yourself as well," Kristin said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I've been exactly where you are a few times myself, so I know how difficult it can be to feel confident in yourself after something like this. But I promise it won't last. And you're going to realize you're going to be just fine. Not only that, you're going to find someone who appreciates you for you, warts and all."

Katie's brow furrowed. "I find that hard to believe."

"How in the world can you say that? Think of everything you've achieved in your life so far. You obviously didn't get there by being a wilting flower."

"No, that's not what I meant," Katie said with a shake of her head. "I mean you being where I am now. It's just hard to imagine."

"Oh, I see. Well, though I've broken a few hearts in my younger days, I've had my own heart broken more times than I'd like to admit," she replied. "You know I'm divorced for a reason."

"As am I, but I'm the reason that Ben and I are divorced. I had initiated it, and I just assumed it was the same with you... Of course, I never planned on being on the same submarine with him, but then it's funny how life works sometimes," she said with a sigh.

Kristin shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Don't think I haven't heard the rumors about me...but they are just that: rumors. I...I might be a strong woman, but I'm not a man-eater. Quite the opposite, but my ex-husband was a womanizer, only I was the last to find out. He had slapped me with the divorce papers and then ran off with his secretary. Isn't that always the way it goes?" She did her best to keep her emotions in check, but she could hear the slight twinge in her voice betraying her.

"Doc...I am so sorry." Katie took her hand. "I had no idea...and please know that I don't participate in the gossip."

Kristin swallowed hard, waving a hand. "Oh, please; I don't care much about that. I was young once, too, and I also know that on a small boat, there isn't always a lot of action. You have to do something to occupy yourselves, hm? Besides, this isn't about me; it's about you. I've done my share of crying over it, and it's long past. So there's no need to worry about me." She put a hand on Katie's arm. "Are you feeling better now?"

Katie nodded. "A little, thank you. Actually, it's kind of a godsend you were here. If this ever got back to Ben, he'd have a field day, so that's why I didn't want to talk to anyone else on the crew about it. Normally, I'd call my mother, but seeing as she's best friends with his mother, I'm not sure it would have been the best idea."

"Oh, dear, that would be a problem, but you know you can always come to me if you need. I will always make time for you." She smoothed Katie's hair back over her shoulder. "You know, you remind me so much of my own daughter. I miss her very much."

"You talk to her quite a bit, though, don't you?"

Kristin laughed softly. "At least once a week, unless I'm driving her up the wall. And I admit, I do have a bad habit of that. She's my only one, so it's hard. But I've helped her mend a few broken hearts of her own."

"And I'm sure you've done a bang-up job. You know just what to say," Katie told her. "I only wish I knew exactly what I did to make him shy away..."

"Does it really matter?" Kristin asked. "Look, I know you're friends with him, and maybe he shied away because he was afraid of ruining what you two already had. Even so, you don't deserve to be treated that way, and even if he changes his mind, I hope you'll tell him he's lost his chance, at least in way of romance, with you. You deserve a man, not a boy. And what he did to you was a very boyish move."

After a moment, Katie said, "You're right. Maybe he was afraid of losing our friendship, but we'd spoken in length what we'd both wanted out of the relationship. If he'd suddenly gotten cold feet, he should have told me to my face...not sent a letter right after." She shook her head. "Believe me, that ship has sailed, no pun intended. As for the friendship, I'm willing to give him another chance, but he'll need to beg for it."

"Making him sweat it out is definitely something I approve of," Kristin said with a laugh, moving to sit back down. "See, you don't give yourself enough credit."

Katie shrugged. "I think when you're in a high position like we are, surrounded by men every day, you forget that you can be just as vulnerable, no matter how strong you appear to everyone else."

"But that's why you have good friends who'll offer their shoulders for you to cry on and remind you of who you really are. It's nice to have other women around to keep you grounded, hm?"

"Indeed," Katie said with a smile. "I just hope I can return the favor sometime."

"Oh, believe me, you already have. Like I said, you remind me of my own daughter...and I always wished I'd have had another." She gave Katie's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Your daughter's a very lucky girl. Have you spoke with her lately?"

"Actually, no; she's been doing some humanitarian project. It's actually a bit frustrating; she isn't very forthcoming about the details." She sighed. "I'm trying to be supportive and not overbearing, but it's difficult."

"You should give her a call," Katie replied. "I'll bet she'll want to hear from you, even if she won't admit it."

Kristin thought for a moment and then nodded. "All right; I think I will...tomorrow, mind you. It's a bit late for that now. In fact, until I saw you here, I was planning on going to sleep as soon as I ate."

"Oh, gosh, I didn't mean..." Katie brought a hand to her head. "Of course, I heard about all the injuries today. You must be exhausted."

"I was, but you helped me get my second wind. Besides, Joshua has the morning shift tomorrow. I get to sleep in...and I'm really glad we had this talk."

"Me, too, Doc. I couldn't ask for anyone better to confide in. But what do you say we call it a night? I'm tired myself."

"As long as you're sure. We can talk more if you need..."

"I'll be fine. I promise," Katie told her, moving to give her a hug. "I'm sure I'll need to talk again soon, though."

"And I'll be right here for you when you need."


End file.
